Keys to the Kingdom [Hardcover]

Bob Graham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 7, 2011

Shortly after an explosive op-ed piece about the 9/11 investigation appears in the New York Times, its author, former Senator and Co-chair of the 9/11 Congressional Inquiry Commission John Billington, is murdered near his Florida home.

Enter Tony Ramos, ex-Special Forces operative and former aide to Sen. Billington and currently a State Department intelligence analyst. Billington, having sensed the danger he faced, has left Ramos detailed instructions for an investigation into suspected Saudi complicity in 9/11. Ramos, in conjunction with Billington's daughter Laura, uncovers a shocking international conspiracy linking the Saudi Kingdom to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

Despite efforts to derail their investigation, whose scope encompasses Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Ramos and Laura discover that the Kingdom has recently provided bin Laden and al-Qaeda with three nuclear devices, two of which are successfully detonated by the terrorists overseas. But they were just a warm up to the grand finale. The third device, Ramos learns, will be detonated off the California coast.

Now Ramos and a team of Special Forces must race against time to prevent al-Qaeda from unleashing nuclear disaster on American shores, and beyond.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“His novel delivers uncommon insight into the treacherous and sometimes frantic craft of intelligence gathering. It reads like a true story because Graham knows where the truth lies.”
—Carl Hiaasen, New York Times bestselling author

“Senator Bob Graham had more wisdom than I when he said that going into Iraq would take our focus off Afghanistan. Graham is able to present a narrative about the threats we face in an exciting and fast-paced novel. Read this book and you will become more expert in understanding our dangerous world.”
— Jane Harman, Former Congresswoman and President, CEO, and Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

“Keys to the Kingdom ignites like a Homeland Security briefing and The Situation Room colliding head-on. Current, fast-paced, and crackles with the authenticity of someone who has obviously been ‘in the room.’”
—Andrew Gross, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A fast-paced thriller that rings with authenticity, because it’s written by someone who knows how things really work at the highest levels of power.”
—Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of Buried Secrets

“Keys to the Kingdom is a story penned by a man who understands well the ins-and-outs of Washington intrigue, the shifting ground, the deadly gamesmanship of Middle Eastern politics, and the mind-numbing fear of international terror in the nuclear age. Bob Graham has written a page-turner with believable characters, brimming with suspense, and steeped in wonderfully authentic and brightly-drawn locations. It is a story that constantly teeters on the edge of reality causing one to wonder: Are we reading fiction or the banner headline of tomorrow’s 9/11?”
—Steve Martini, New York Times bestselling author

“Bob Graham has produced a taut thriller that educates while it entertains. His novel throbs with the heart-pounding urgency of its memorable characters.”
— Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, Former Senior CIA Operations Off icer and Director of the Off ice of Intelligence and Counterintelligence for the U.S. Department of Energy

 

About the Author

Senator Bob Graham is the former two-term Governor of Florida and he served eighteen years in the United States Senate. He was recently appointed by President Obama to co-chair the Bipartisan National Commission on the BP oil spill, and was also appointed by President Obama to Chair the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. Bob Graham has also been a regular contributor to National Public Radio's Morning Edition, a frequent guest on CNN, Fox, and MSNBC News, and has written opinion editorials for the New York Times, Washington Post Financial Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Miami Herald, and many other newspapers and magazines. Bob and his wife Adele reside in Miami Lakes, Florida.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Vanguard Press; First Printing edition (June 7, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159315660X
• ISBN-13: 978-1593156602
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #517,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Get this thriller - a great novel...or is it true? June 19, 2011

By Hank Boerner

Format:Hardcover

Senator Bob Graham is long-time, honarable public servant who was two-time Florida governor and a veteran member of the US Senate. He served as chair of the influential Select Committee on Intelligence and previouly authored a great factual book, "Intelligence Matters" (published in 2004). Reading that book, I found it an amazing journey, well written and a very thorough account of recent American history -- and felt concerned after reading it that perhaps we were not doing enough to prevent future terrorist attacks. Senator Graham was quite specific in his recommendations for tightening security to further protect these United States.

It's obvious that Senator Graham knows a lot about external threats and the terror attacks on the USA, and the potential threats to the USA. He's a very good writer, so when I saw this new book on the shelf I picked it up. Wow! What a read...so this is a novel, fiction. Maybe, maybe not. This is a very powerful book, a page turner, hard to put down.

The book took five years to produce, and the subject matter is believable, plausible, surely possible. Sure, the intelligence community looked it over before publication and passed on the contents, so no real state secrets are revealed. But if just a fraction of what Senator Graham has written about is true - well, pick up the book for yourself and decide. Very serious matters involving the security of our homeland are involved -- and new light is shed on the September 11th events.

This book is fast-paced, action-packed and flows beautifully. Like Nelson DeMille? Robert Ludlum thrillers? This book fits well in that genre.

No doubt this will be a great summer read for many folks and part of the enjoyment is Senator Grahman's writing about certain people (and events) which will "ring true" for you, even if they are fictional characters. Amazing "facts" keep being unveiled.

The people and events depicted are fiction...right Senator Graham? Congratulations to you on a first-time, first rate suspense novel. Keep them coming, even if it takes another five years!

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars exciting thriller June 9, 2011

By Harriet Klausner #1 HALL OF FAME

Format:Hardcover

In 2008 though he knows the danger of releasing his beliefs, U.S. Senator (retired) John Billington publishes an op-ed in the New York Times. In his article the former Congressman insists that Saudi Arabia's role in 9/11 was covered-up by two American Administrations and ignored by Congress. From that assertion, he further asks whether the Kingdom will support future terrorist acts and implies that Saudi Arabia is probably developing a nuclear weapon. His contention causes consternation in DC, Tel Aviv and Riyadh and he receives death threats.

Not one to hide, Billington asks State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research Tony Ramos to look into his theory. Soon after his request Billington dies in a suspicious hit-and-run near his house in Florida. Feeling compelled to dig while also feeling remorse for ignoring the late senator who said he would be killed for his statements, Ramos, Billington's daughter Laura and his team investigate her late father's claims; and soon conclude al-Qaeda has plans for a monstrous terrorist assault with Saudi Arabia supporting the deadly terrorists.

Putting aside the inane romantic requirement that feels forced, Keys to the Kingdom is an exciting thriller as former Senator Bob Graham makes a case that Saudi Arabia whether by intention or omission enabled 9/11 and history has a tendency to repeat itself. The premise overall is carried out cleverly though at times Ramos seems more like Superman as he and the others do the Asian tour to prevent a terror-nuke attack on America. Fans will enjoy Senator Graham's suspenseful tale as an even deadlier 9/11 seems imminent.

Harriet Klausner

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A thriller, maybe a warning. June 24, 2011

By John

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Keys to the Kingdom gets better and better as the story unfolds. The book is a novel and includes interesting and sometimes vivid personal stories, but it is riveting because the plot is built around the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Because Senator Graham served as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence the reader has to question how much of the book is based on actual but never officially acknowledged facts and how much is pure fiction. Did the Saudis provide moral and financial support to the terrorist perpetrators; did they maintain contact with Osama bin Laden long after September 11, 2001; are they vigorously pursuing a nuclear capacity? Readers have to wonder as they read this spell-binding thriller.

The great details and descriptions add to the realism of the story. I can almost guarantee that anyone who appreciates a well-written suspense story will relish this book.